Wednesday MidDay Medley
Produced and Hosted by Mark Manning
90.1 FM KKFI – Kansas City Community Radio
TEN to NOON Wednesdays – Streaming at KKFI.org

Wednesday, December 28, 2022

The 120 Best Recordings of 2022
(Part 4 of 4)

1. “Main Title Instrumental – It’s Showtime Folks”
   from: Motion Picture Soundtrack to All That Jazz / Universal / Dec. 20, 1979
   [WMM’s adopted theme song in honor of Bob Fosse]

WMM presents part-four, of our four-week special: The 120 Best Recordings of 2022. Based on playlists of this little ole radio show, we’ve compiled representative tracks from our favorite full-length albums and EP recordings of 2022. We realize these “Best of” lists can seem subjective, so we ask that you please accept our list as a celebration of the year in music.

In 2022 we’ve broadcast nearly 900 different tracks on WMM over our 100,000 watts of 90.1 FM Community Radio Airwaves. Over 500 of these tracks were from New & MidCoastal Releases. We played tracks from National Releases, and MidCoastal Releases. 80 of the representative tracks in our “Best of” list are from MidCoastal Releases. We conducted over 120 interviews with 120 special guests. 50 of the bands and artists in our “Best of” list have joined us as guests on Wednesday MidDay Medley.

The 120 Best Recordings of 2022. This is our celebration of the year in music when we were able to survey over 600 area musical releases.

2. (#30.) The Black Angels – “Empires Falling”
   from: Wilderness of Mirrors / Partisan Records / September 16, 2022
   [The Black Angels are an American psychedelic rock band from Austin, Texas. Formed in May 2004, they took their name from the Velvet Underground’s “The Black Angel’s Death Song.” They have released six studio albums and one compilation album. // In 2005, the Black Angels were featured on a dual-disc compilation album of psychedelic music called Psychedelica Vol. 1 from Northern Star Records. This, along with the growing popularity of their MySpace page, gave the band a jump in popularity in the underground scene. // The group’s debut LP, Passover, released in 2006, was generally well received in the underground independent rock community and was noted for its dark tones and lyrical content. A review of Passover described them as “Walking in the shadows cast by Spiritualized mastermind Jason Pierce,” invoking “dirges” reminiscent of the 13th Floor Elevators. Passover included a quote in the liner notes from Edvard Munch: “Illness, insanity, and death are the black angels that kept watch over my cradle and accompanied me all my life.” The band was featured on the soundtrack of the 2007 Kevin Bacon movie, Death Sentence, on the second episode of FOX’s Fringe, and in the ninth episode of Californication. // They released their second album Directions to See a Ghost in 2008. Songs from Directions to See a Ghost were also featured in The History Channel’s 2009 documentary, Manson. Their song “Young Men Dead” was featured on the March 17, 2010 episode of UFC Primetime, “St. Pierre vs. Hardy,” on Spike. “Young Men Dead” was also included on the soundtrack for the 2011 snowboard movie The Art of Flight. // Festival appearances by the band during this time included Lollapalooza 2007, SXSW 2006 & 2008, and All Tomorrow’s Parties 2008, among others. Touring partners included the blues rock band The Black Keys, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, The Warlocks, Roky Erickson, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Queens of the Stone Age, The Raveonettes, Wolfmother, and The Horrors. // Between October 28 and November 2, 2008, the band performed as Roky Erickson’s backing band on the West Coast. The band featured on Unkle’s May 2010 release, Where Did the Night Fall, collaborating on a song called “Natural Selection.” // On April 23–25, 2010, The Reverberation Appreciation Society and the Black Angels presented their third annual music-and-arts festival, Austin Psych Fest. Bands topping the 43-band bill included The Raveonettes, Pink Mountaintops, The Warlocks, The Gaslamp Killer, Warpaint, Night Beats, and Silver Apples. // The band’s third album, Phosphene Dream, was released on September 14, 2010. The group played the ATP New York 2010 Music Festival in Monticello, New York, in September 2010. On Record Store Day 2011 a 12″ LP titled Another Nice Pair was released, a limited edition red LP containing the band’s first two EPs. Of the total records pressed, 100 were randomly inserted with a print signed by Alex Maas, Stephanie Bailey, Christian Bland, Kyle Hunt, and Nate Ryan. // The 4th annual Austin Psych Fest ran from April 29 – May 1, 2011, and was held at the Seaholm Powerplant (the last event to be held inside the building) and featured Roky Erickson, Spectrum, Omar Rodriguez Lopez Group, Atlas Sound, Black Moth Super Rainbow, Prefuse 73 and A Place To Bury Strangers topping a lineup of 55 bands. // The band’s fourth album, Indigo Meadow, was released on April 2, 2013, and they embarked on a tour across the United States in May 2013 in support of the album. // In February 2014, the Black Angels covered a version of “Soul Kitchen” for A Psych Tribute to the Doors, released by Cleopatra Records. // The 7th annual Austin Psych Fest was held during May 2–4, 2014 at Carson Creek Ranch next to the Colorado River and featured a rare Friday night performance from the legendary 1960s baroque pop band The Zombies, The Dandy Warhols and The Brian Jonestown Massacre performing together on the same stage, the psychedelic folk band Quilt, the electronica duo Peaking Lights, Temples, Sleepy Sun, The War on Drugs, Loop, and an incendiary performance from Japanese drone rock band Acid Mothers Temple in which several instruments were lit on fire. // On July 22, 2014, the Black Angels released their EP, Clear Lake Forest. // In December 2014, the Black Angels released a split single, along with Sonic Jesus, called “Molly Moves My Generation.” // The 8th annual Austin Psych Fest, now renamed Levitation, was held from May 8–10, 2015 at Carson Creek Ranch and featured an impressive lineup, including a rare 50th anniversary reunion of pioneering Texas psychedelic rock band The 13th Floor Elevators, The Flaming Lips, Tame Impala, The Jesus and Mary Chain’s 30th anniversary performance of Psychocandy in its entirety, Spiritualized, Primal Scream, and Earth. Melody’s Echo Chamber and Rose Windows were scheduled to perform, but Rose Windows announced their breakup prior to the event and Melody’s Echo Chamber had travel issues and had to cancel. // The band released their fifth album, Death Song, in April, 2017. // The band released their sixth album, “Wilderness of Mirrors,” on September 16th, 2022. // The Black Angels played The Bottleneck in Lawrence KS. on Saturday, October 1, at 7:00 PM with The Vacant Lots.]

3. (#29.) Samara Joy – “Linger Awhile (Feat. Pasquale Grasso)”
   from: Linger Awhile / Verve / September 16, 2022
   [Samara Joy McLendon, is known professionally as Samara Joy. She is an American jazz singer. She won the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition in 2019 and was named Best New Artist by Jazz Times for 2021. // A native of the Castle Hill section of the Bronx, Joy was born in 1999 into a musical family. Her paternal grandparents, Elder Goldwire and Ruth McLendon, were founders of Philadelphia gospel group The Savettes. Her father, a bass player who has toured with gospel singer/songwriter/producer Andraé Crouch, introduced her to gospel greats like The Clark Sisters,[8] and soul and Motown were also a big presence in her home. // At Fordham High School for the Arts she performed with the jazz band, and won Best Vocalist at Fordham University’s “Essentially Ellington” competition at Lincoln Center.[10] But she first encountered jazz in a meaningful way when she enrolled in the jazz program at SUNY’s Purchase College as a voice major, and was named an Ella Fitzgerald Scholar. Friends there introduced her to the great jazz vocalists like Sarah Vaughan and Fitzgerald[15] and instrumentalists like Kenny Washington, Jon Faddis (with whom she studied)[16] and Ingrid Jensen. While she was still in college, before the release of her first album, film director Regina King called her “a young woman who seems like Sarah Vaughan and Ella Fitzgerald are both living in her body.” // In 2019, as Samara McLendon, she won the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition. // Working with producer and eventual manager Matt Pierson, she recorded her self-titled debut album while still in college, graduating magna cum laude in 2021. Samara Joy was released on 9 July 2021 with Whirlwind Records. // On February 15, 2022 she performed on Today with guitarist Pasquale Grasso and performed again on Today in September 2022.// She released a number of viral video performances, including one that had been viewed over 1.5 million times as of October 2020. These videos had as of November 2022 gaineduding a series of sold-out conc and other festivals, as well as in Europe. // In February 2021 she was featured in Women of Color on Broadway, Inc.’s music video of “Summertime” from Porgy and Bess[33] and on jazz pianist Julius Rodriguez’s album Let Sound Tell All. // Jazz Times named her Best New Artist for 2021. // On June 15, 2022 she was featured at Carnegie Hall’s 16th Annual Notable Occasion. and appeared at the Newport Jazz Festival. On September 16, 2022 she released her second album, Linger Awhile, on Verve Records. The album features drummer Kenny Washington, guitarist Pasquale Grasso, pianist Ben Paterson, and bassist David Wong. // She earned two Grammy Award nominations in 2022, for Best New Artist and Best Jazz Vocal Album for Linger Awhile.[42] Her bookings for winter 2022 include singing with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra on its winter 2022 Big Band Holidays tour.]

4. (#28.) Spoon – “On The Radio (Adrian Sherwood Reconstruction)”
   from: Lucifer on The Moon / Sub Pop / November 4, 2022
   

[from Spoon’s bandcamp page: Lucifer on the Moon is the anti-gravity companion to Spoon’s LUCIFER ON THE SOFA. (Feb. 11, 2022). A top-to-bottom rework of the Austin band’s tenth album, it was created by On-U Sound founder and UK dub icon, Adrian Sherwood. // Moon first took shape as a few heady remixes for the singles from LUCIFER ON THE SOFA. Frontman Britt Daniel offered Sherwood two suggestions: “Avoid things that would not be possible on tape” and “Add whatever you want to add, the less modern the better.” The collaboration shouldn’t come as a surprise: dub-inspired production is wound through Spoon’s classic tracks, from “Finer Feelings” to “Inside Out.” Sherwood is a proven collaborator whose resume includes partnerships with seminal artists like The Fall, Jah Wobble, and Mark Stewart. The initial results pleased both parties and Sherwood was invited to work on additional songs. And then a few more. “I got into the melody and the thoughts it evoked in me,” the producer explains. “It just evolved and we eventually found ourselves with a whole album.” // Moon flips Lucifer on the Sofa’s rhythm tracks inside-out, and often rebuilds them wholesale. Sherwood supplied extensive additional instrumentation via On-U’s extended family of session players, including bassist Doug Wimbish and drummer Keith LeBlanc (both of whom performed in Sugarhill Records’ early ’80s in-house rhythm section). He dug deep into the album’s multi-tracks, surfacing forgotten details and elements not present in the final album mixes. The result airlifts Spoon’s trademark melodies into lush alien terrain, replete with vibrant echo and rumbling low-end. “It wasn’t just a thing where you pick apart this and that and you stay on the grid and you add a delay,” explains Daniel. “He added so much more instrumentation to the tracks that they became different completely versions of the songs. Not just remixes, but companion pieces. A ‘Part II.’”]

5. (#27.) Big Thief – “Simulation Swarm”
from: Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You / 4AD / February 11, 2022

[ragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You is the 5th studio album by the American band Big Thief, released as a double album through 4AD on Feb. 11, 2022. Produced by drummer James Krivchenia, the album features 20 songs which were recorded over five months in four different locations across the United States. The album’s release was preceded by 8 singles. It received acclaim from critics upon release and entered the top forty in several territories, including Australia, Belgium, the Netherlands, Ireland, New Zealand, the USA and the UK. // In 2019, Big Thief left Saddle Creek and signed to 4AD, releasing two studio albums: U.F.O.F. in May 2019 and Two Hands in Oct. 2019. The albums were the band’s most successful and acclaimed to date: U.F.O.F. received a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album and both albums appeared on the Billboard 200 chart, with Two Hands peaking at 113. Their song “Not” from Two Hands was named by many publications as one of the year’s best songs and was nominated for Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards. Big Thief toured in support of the albums until March 2020, when their European tour was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Drummer James Krivchenia released a solo album titled A New Found Relaxation in June 2020. In October 2020, Lenker released two solo albums: Songs and Instrumentals. Guitarist Buck Meek released his second solo album Two Saviors in January 2021. // Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You album was produced by drummer James Krivchenia, who conceived the concept behind its recording. In late 2019, while at a hotel in Copenhagen, Krivchenia presented the band with the concept that they would travel to four different locations: Upstate New York, Topanga Canyon in California, the Sonoran Desert in Arizona, and the Colorado mountains. They would record at four different studios with four separate engineers, and go to each place with a specific sonic plan in mind. Krivchenia’s intent was to capture a full expression of Lenker’s songwriting and the band onto a single album. Krivchenia’s production handling also marks the band’s first album not produced by their longtime collaborator Andrew Sarlo. // The band recorded over the span of five months, resulting in 45 complete songs which were ultimately edited down to the album’s 20 tracks. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the band initially quarantined in the Vermont woods for two weeks in July 2020. The 1st session was in July and August 2020 at Sam Evian’s Flying Cloud Recordings in Upstate New York. The 2nd session was with Shawn Everett in Oct. 2020 at Five Star Studios in Topanga, California. The third session was with engineer Dom Monks, who previously engineered U.F.O.F. and Two Hands; the session took place in Nov. 2020 at MusicGardens – Studio In The Clouds in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, located just outside Telluride. The fourth and final session was in Dec. 2020 at Scott McMicken’s Press On Studio in Tucson, Arizona. Mat Davidson, a former member of the Low Anthem and a longtime friend of the band who performs under the moniker Twain, was invited to contribute to the recordings in Arizona. Davidson had previously featured on the band’s second studio album, Capacity (2017), with his vocals & fiddle performances featuring heavily throughout the Arizona Dragon New Warm Mountain recordings, marking the first time the band incorporated a fifth instrumentalist for such a substantial contribution]

6. (#26.) Drugdealer – “Pictures of You (feat. Kate Bollinger)”
from: Hiding in Plain Sight / Mexican Summer / October 28, 2022
[Engineers: Ignacio Gonzalez, Ian Doerr, Mac DeMarco, Michael Collins, Pierce Gibson, Chico Jones, Mikey Whiteside, Jonny Kosmo, Daryl Johns // Recorded at Michael’s House, Mac’s Studio, Sylvie Studio, Marfa Recording Co., Savannah Studios, Kosmo’s Studio, Honeymoon Suite, Daryl’s Sublet, and Soft Rock Cafe between 2019 and 2022. // Mixed by Nicolas Jodoin with Assistant Mixing by Franky Fox at Valentine Studios (North Hollywood, CA) // Mastered by Timothy Stollenwork at Stereophonic Mastering (Portland, OR) // The third and most seasoned Drugdealer album, Hiding in Plain Sight, almost didn’t happen at all. Frustrated and insecure with his own singing voice prior to the pandemic, Drugdealer founder and primary songwriter Michael Collins was nearly ready to throw in the towel. With hits like “Suddenly” and “The Real World” (from the band’s 2016 debut, The End Of Comedy) and “Honey” (from their first album for Mexican Summer, 2019’s Raw Honey), Collins had plenty to be happy about. But due to a frequent impulse to hand over the microphone to friends and collaborators like Weyes Blood, Jackson MacIntosh, and his trusty musical companion Sasha Winn, Collins became increasingly unsure of himself as a singer. Then, amidst the windswept art colony of Marfa, Texas, a chance encounter with the visionary artist and composer Annette Peacock changed his outlook. // While attending Mexican Summer’s annual Marfa Myths festival, Collins ran into Peacock backstage. “I was so inspired by [Annette]. But similarly to all these other vocalists I’d worked with, I didn’t feel like I had it in me.” he recalls. “I told her my plight, then I played her a song, and she told me I wasn’t singing high enough for my speaking voice. When I returned to LA, I started coming up with new progressions, which I’d modulate up three half steps. It forced me to find a new way to sing.” // In the valley of the shadow of doubt, during a period when Collins was considering giving up on music and embarking on his lifelong dream of filmmaking, a furtive conversation with a legend allowed him to find his own distinctive voice. But, as the title implies, the lockdown era during which Collins wrote the bulk of the record was a time spent searching for answers – searching for love. // “Madison,” the opening track on Hiding in Plain Sight, is the first song Collins wrote singing in this suggested range. His newfound confidence as a yarn-spinning vocalist in the gruff tenor tradition of Nick Lowe, or even Van Morrison, is readily apparent, with Conor “Catfish” Gallaher’s pedal steel adding a dusting of cosmic country to Collins’ down-hard love song. // When Collins wrote the would-be AM Gold hit, he was summoning an imaginary vision of a love that had eluded him in reality. The song focuses on an unknown figure he could idealize. “All the art I’ve made is related to this searching archetype,” Collins says. “I feel there’s no one way that people find love in their life. When I started to make this album, I noticed that all the lyrics dealt with this subject. On ‘Madison,’ the chorus goes ‘Hoping you’ll find a love/You’re one design of love.’ Then the next song I wrote went ‘Find someone to love…’ At that point, I pretty much knew where it was going. Sasha (my main musical partner) and I are both incredibly romantic. We’ve worked on multiple projects that are all based around this search for love.” // But this quest spanned beyond the traditional conception of love. It takes a village to put together Drugdealer records. The Greek term for love of friends, philia, translating to “the highest form of love,” is evident in a deep cast of characters including Drugdealer band members Mikey Long, MacIntosh and Josh Da Costa (CMON), as well as Southland virtuosos like John Carroll Kirby (Frank Ocean, Stones Throw) and Daryl Johns (Mac DeMarco, The Lemon Twigs). // Tim Presley sings on the second song, “Baby,” and Collins had a clear role in mind for the California avant-rock mainstay. “I love White Fence so much, but I also wanted to hear Presley sing a song that sounded like an early ’60s sock hop band who had never tried drugs in their life.” Meanwhile, Kate Bollinger floats an effervescent lead vocal over the Rhodes-driven groove in “Pictures of You.” As usual, Collins wrangled a who’s who of background singers and instrumentalists to carry out Hiding in Plain Sight’s vision. Mainly, however, the record acts as a welcome showcase for Collins as an emboldened lead singer, a wayward bandleader who has found a way to love himself as a singer, songwriter and storyteller. // Taking inspiration from a canon of gruff but soulful rock vocalists like Phil Lynott, Collins looks back on his nocturnal meanderings through LA’s warrens of bars and clubs (“New Fascination”). He’s right up front in the mix, detailing a search for love in all the wrong places. All the while, his band turns on a dime, with Long and Sergio Tabanico trading respective electric sitar and electric sax solos. // On “Hard Dreaming Man,” he looks back at a restless decade on the road through the rearview mirror. “Hard dreaming man/lemme tell you anything I know… I gotta go any place I can go,” he sings over a chorus of honky-tonk guitars you might hear wafting out of saloon doors. “The thing I actually do at a high level isn’t playing piano,” Collins says, “it’s telling stories. Our group of musicians, we all just really like to hang out and tell stories together.” // Collins once again hands the mic over to his talented friends on the final, celebratory track, “Posse Cut.” The latest, greatest entry in a Los Angeles funk tradition spanning from Leon Sylvers to Warren G, the six-minute jam finds a groove and rides it, with Bambina, Winn, Sean Nicholas Savage, Video Age, and Kirby showing out. In what could be a summation of the record’s themes, Winn sings, “I don’t wanna stop the flow/But there’s something you should know/I’ve been known to move around/I get lost before I get found.” // Ultimately, Hiding in Plain Sight is an odyssey from philautia—the ability to love oneself —to philia, a greater ability to love and embrace the contributions of those around you. Only then does a path clear for an encompassing and passionate romantic love, eros. Ultimately, Collins finds love all around and, finally, feels in possession of the voice to sing about it, resulting in the most joyful and fully-realized Drugdealer album to date.]

7. (#25.) Danger Mouse & Black Thought – “Aquamarine (feat. Michael Kiwanuka)”
from: Cheat Codes / BMG / August 12, 2022
[‘Cheat Codes’, the collaborative debut album from Danger Mouse and Black Thought is out August 12 via BMG. In addition to Michael Kiwanuka, the record features Kid Sister, A$AP Rocky, Run The Jewels, MF DOOM, Joey Bada$$, Russ, Conway the Machine and more. // Brian Joseph Burton was born July 29, 1977. He is known professionally as Danger Mouse is an American musician, songwriter and record producer. He came to prominence in 2004 when he released The Grey Album, which combined vocal performances from Jay-Z’s The Black Album with instrumentals from the Beatles’ The Beatles, also known as The White Album. In 2008, Esquire named him one of the “75 most influential people of the 21st century”. // He formed Gnarls Barkley with CeeLo Green and produced its albums St. Elsewhere and The Odd Couple. In 2009 he collaborated with James Mercer of the indie rock band The Shins to form the band Broken Bells. In addition, Burton worked with rapper MF Doom as Danger Doom and released the album The Mouse and the Mask. // As a producer Danger Mouse produced the second Gorillaz album, 2005’s Demon Days, as well as Beck’s 2008 record Modern Guilt and four albums with The Black Keys (Attack & Release, Brothers, El Camino and Turn Blue). In 2016, Danger Mouse produced, performed on and co-wrote songs for the eleventh studio album by the Red Hot Chili Peppers titled The Getaway. Danger Mouse has also produced and co-written albums by Norah Jones (Little Broken Hearts), Electric Guest (Mondo), Portugal. The Man (Evil Friends), Adele (25), and ASAP Rocky (At.Long.Last.ASAP). He has been nominated for 22 Grammy Awards and has won six. Danger Mouse has been nominated in the Producer of the Year category five times, and won the award in 2011. // Tarik Luqmaan Trotter was born October 3, 1973. He is better known as Black Thought, an American rapper, actor and the lead MC of the Philadelphia-based hip hop group the Roots, which he co-founded with drummer Questlove (Ahmir Thompson). Regarded as “one of the most skilled, incisive, and prolific rappers of his time”, he is widely lauded for his live performance skills, continuous multisyllabic rhyme schemes, complex lyricism, double entendres, and politically aware lyrics. With the Roots, he is a singer and rapper on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, frequently playing games with Fallon and his guests.]

8. (#24.) Mavis Staples & Levon Helm – “You Got To Move”
from: Carry Me Home / Anti / May 20, 2022

[this follows her 14th studio (solo) album from rhythm & blues and gospel singer, actress and civil rights activist, born in Chicago, Illinois on July 10, 1939. Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Mavis Staples, of her family band, The Staple Singers, is a celebrated equal rights activist. She’s performed at inaugural parties for Presidents Kennedy, Carter and Clinton, She began her career with her family group in 1950. Initially singing locally at churches, appearing on a weekly radio show, the Staples scored a hit in 1956 with “Uncloudy Day” for the Vee-Jay label. When Mavis graduated from what is now Paul Robeson High School in 1957, The Staple Singers took their music on the road. Led by patriarch Roebuck “Pops” Staples on guitar and including Mavis and her siblings Cleotha, Yvonne, & Purvis, the Staples were called “God’s Greatest Hitmakers.” With Mavis’ voice and Pops’ songs, singing, & guitar playing, the Staples evolved from enormously popular gospel singers (with recordings on United and Riverside as well as Vee-Jay) to become the most spectacular and influential spirituality-based group in America. By the mid-1960s The Staple Singers, inspired by Pops’ close friendship with Martin Luther King, Jr., became the spiritual and musical voices of the civil rights movement. They covered contemporary pop hits with positive messages, including Bob Dylan’s “A Hard Rain’s a-Gonna Fall” and a version of Stephen Stills’ “For What It’s Worth.” Staples was briefly married to Spencer Leak in 1964; they divorced when Staples would not end her music career to stay home. She has no children. In the 2015 documentary Mavis! she reveals that Bob Dylan once proposed to her, and she turned him down. Her initial recordings were as a member of her family group, the Staple Singers. Led by her father Roebuck “Pops” Staples the Staple Singers were major artists in gospel and soul music from 1957 to 1969. Commencing releasing albums as a solo artist in 1969, Mavis Staples has released 13 studio albums, two live albums, three compilations, one soundtrack, one EP, and 51 singles over a career spanning five decades. Mavis Staples played The Lied Center in Lawrence, Kansas on Friday, November 18 at 7:30 PM.]

Mavis Staples Solo Discography

1. Mavis Staples / June 16, 1969 / Volt
2. Only for the Lonely / Oct. 12, 1970 / Volt
3. Oh What a Feeling / July 16, 1979 / Warner Bros.
4. Time Waits for No One / May 19, 1989 / Paisley Park
5. The Voice / August 24, 1993 / Paisley Park
6. Spirituals & Gospel: Dedicated to Mahalia Jackson (w/ Lucky Peterson) / Nov. 5, 1996 / Verve
7. Have a Little Faith / August 17, 2004 / ANTI-
8. We’ll Never Turn Back / April 24, 2007 / ANTI-
9. Live: Hope at the Hideout / November 4, 2008 / ANTI-
10. You Are Not Alone / Sept. 14, 2010 / ANTI-
11. One True Vine / June 25, 2013 / ANTI-
12. Livin’ on a High Note / February 19, 2016 / ANTI-
13. If All I Was Was Black / November 17, 2017 / ANTI-
14. Live in London / February 8, 2019 / ANTI-
15. We Get By / May 24, 2019 / ANTI-
16. Carry Me Home / March 20, 2022 / ANTI-]

10:29 – Underwriting

9. (#23.) Melody’s Echo Chamber – “Unfold”
   from: Unfold / Fat Possum Records / September 30, 2022
   [Melody’s Echo Chamber is the main project of French musician Melody Prochet. // When Melody Prochet’s previous project My Bee’s Garden supported Tame Impala on their European tour in 2010, Prochet collaborated with Kevin Parker to produce her new solo material as Melody’s Echo Chamber. The material was recorded in Parker’s makeshift studio in Perth, Australia and Prochet’s grandmother’s seaside home in the south of France. The self-titled debut album was released under Fat Possum Records in 2012. // In 2013, the debut album peaked at 61 on the US Billboard Heatseekers Album Chart. Q Magazine rated the album 8/10, calling it an “intoxicating listen that’s well worth experiencing for yourself.” Drowned in Sound’s Dom Gourlay awarded the album 9/10 and stated: “Whatever happens next, she can rest assured safe in the knowledge that together with her beau they’ve conjured up one of 2012’s–or any other year in recent memory–finest debuts.” // Melody’s Echo Chamber released “Shirim” in October 2014, which was set to be featured in her next album. In December, it was announced that Melody’s Echo Chamber would play at the 2015 Levitation Festival in Austin, Texas, but her appearance was later cancelled due to visa issues. // In 2017, Prochet released a new track on YouTube titled “Cross My Heart”, with the announcement of her independently produced album Bon Voyage. It was set to be released in the same year, but was delayed as Prochet had suffered a “serious accident”, followed by the cancellation of her world tour. // In April 2018, Prochet released the single “Breathe In, Breathe Out”, and Bon Voyage was released in June. // In January 2022, Prochet released the single “Looking Backward”, and Emotional Eternal was released in April.]

10. (#22.) Charlotte Adigery & Bolis Pupul – “Haha”
    from: Topical Dancer / Bounty & Banana – DEEWEE – Because Music / March 4, 2018
    [Topical Dancer is a studio album by Charlotte Adigéry and Bolis Pupul and co-written and produced by Soulwax. Released on 4 March 2022 under the label Deewee, Topical Dancer is Adigéry and Pupul’s debut album as a duo. // Pupul and Adigéry are both based in Belgium with shared heritage from Martinique, a French island. They first met while working for the soundtrack of Belgica, a 2016 Belgian drama, after being invited by Soulwax, who also co-written and produced this album. The album is influenced by experiences of racial discrimination and sexual abuse. In the album, Adigéry sings in English, Dutch, Creole, and French. The album features Charlotte Adigéry’s mother, Christiane Adigéry and was released under the label Deewee, which the duo previously released three EPs on. “Thank You” is the lead single of Topical Dancer and the second single is “Blenda”. “Blenda” was released on November 4, 2021 along with an announcement of the album and its release date. The first track of the album “Bel Deewee” is a field recording of Adigéry entering the Deewee recording complex, which is also where they recorded the album, and calling through the intercom. // On the review aggregator Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, Topical Dancer received an average score of 85, based on six reviews, indicating “universal acclaim”. Emily Mackay of The Observer called the album “banging fusion of funk, house and techno”. Paul Simpson of AllMusic claimed the album was “catchiest and most danceable songs Adigéry and Pupul have written to date” and that the lyrics “offer a lot of food for thought”. Eric Torres of Pitchfork called the album “riveting” and reported that the album had a “roguish charm”. Jasper Willems wrote on Beats Per Minute that Topical Dancer is “spiritual palette cleanser as much as it is a physical one” and “a record for literally anyone”. In a review written for NME, reviewer Max Pilley claimed that the album “arrived bursting with positive energy”.Charlotte Adigéry and Bolis Pupul played the Empty Bottle in Chicago on Sept. 19 at 8:00 PM]

11. (#21.) Aldous Harding – “Lawn”
    from: Warm Chris / 4AD / March 25, 2022
    [Aldous Harding is New Zealand based singer songwriter. He Lyrics are brilliantly expressive and surreal. Her minimalist Indie rock 2022 album Warm Chris is one of my favorites of the year. // Hannah Sian Topp was born in 1990. She is known professionally as Aldous Harding, is based in Cardiff, Wales. // Topp comes from a musical family in Lyttelton, New Zealand: her mother is folk singer Lorina Harding. One of the first musicians who came across her was New Zealand folk-pop singer/songwriter Anika Moa. Moa asked Harding to play support for her that night after finding her busking outside the venue she was about to play at. // She has released music through independent record labels Flying Nun, Spunk, and 4AD. She has collaborated with Marlon Williams, John Parish, Mike Hadreas and Fenne Lily. // 4AD announced Harding as a new signing in early 2017 just prior to the release of her second album, Party. Party was nominated for IMPALA’s European Album of the Year Award. Singer-songwriter Aldous Harding, released Designer is the third studio album on April 26, 2019 by 4AD. The song “The Barrel” won the 2019 APRA Silver Scroll award. // As of 2020, she is based in Cardiff, Wales, where she had previously lived with partner and collaborator H. Hawkline. Aldous Harding played The Granada Theatre, 1020 Massachusetts, Lawrence, on Saturday, July 2.]

12. (#20.) The Elders – “We Are Same”
    from: Well Alright Then / The Elders / April 29, 2022
    [The Elders were founded in 1998 by six individuals with a passion for music rooted in Americana and Celtic folk rock. Ian Byrne, a native of Ireland’s County Wicklow, guitarist Steve Phillips (formerly of The Rainmakers), bassist Norm Dahlor, violinist and keyboardist Brent Hoad (formerly of The Secrets), drummer Kian Byrne, and fiddler Colin Farrell (Creel and Gráda). Steve Phillips, passed away due to complications from COVID-19 on Sept. 29, 2020. In addition to being an integral member of The Elders, he was also a co-founder of Steve, Bob and Rich, which later became The Rainmakers. Both of these groups have cemented international acclaim, due in part to Steve’s musicianship. The band was already working on their 10th studio album, WELL ALRIGHT THEN that will be released on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17, 2022. More information at: The Band writes on their website, http://www.eldersmusic.com, “Steve granted us the most amazing gift by writing recording many of his parts before his passing. He began working diligently as soon as he was given his prognosis in early 2020. We cannot begin to express how special and heartwarming this is, and we know it will be for you too. Steve is as present on this album as he’s ever been. With that in mind, we knew we owed it to him and the songs to make sure they were shared with the world, which meant some touring! We’ll be playing select shows and festivals throughout the year, and will be sure to keep you updated. Our brother Brent has decided to refrain from touring for now, and we support him in his decision. We have welcomed two excellent musicians to join our ranks to help bring our songs to life, and we couldn’t be happier to have them on board. Bill Latas and Dan Loftus are incredibly talented and long-time friends of the band.” The current line up of The Elders are: Ian Byrne on vocals, drums, percussion, whistle Norm Dahlor on vocals, bass, guitar, banjo; Kian Byrne on vocals, drums, bass, mandolin, guitar; Diana Ladio on fiddle, Bill Latas on guitar; and Dan Loftus-vocals, piano, guitar. The Elders played The Kauffman Center For The Performing Arts on Thurday, April 28, 2022, in Helzberg Hall, 1601 Broadway , KCMO. The Elders played Knuckleheads on Friday, April 29, 2022, at 2715 Rochester Ave, KCMO]

13. (#19.) Wet Leg – “Wet Dream”
    from: Wet Leg / Domino Recording Co / April 8, 2022
    [Wet Leg is a British indie rock band from the Isle of Wight, founded in 2019 by Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers. The band came to prominence in 2021 when their debut single, “Chaise Longue”, became a viral hit. Their self-titled debut album was released on 8 April 2022. // Teasdale and Chambers first met at Isle of Wight College. After ten years of friendship, they became a musical duo in 2019 under the name Wet Leg, signed with Domino Recording Company. They chose the name by playing a game picking different emoji combinations and getting to Wet Leg, it stuck. Their debut single, “Chaise Longue”, was released on June 15, 2021, and gained media notice for earning millions of streams and video views. Their second single, “Wet Dream”, was released on 28 September 2021. Variety noted, “It’s rare that a new group releases two songs and they’re both great”. They appeared on Later… with Jools Holland on BBC2, on 30 October 2021. On 29 November 2021, they announced their debut self-titled album, released on 8 April 2022 via Domino. The same day, Wet Leg released the double-single “Too Late Now” / “Oh No”. // In an interview with Diffus, the band stated that their name came from a regional epithet from the Isle of Wight to describe non-islanders on the island. Those who had crossed the Solent to enter the isle were said to have a wet leg from getting off the boat. // Teasdale had performed for many years on the Isle of Wight as a local musician and pianist, and prior to forming Wet Leg, was known as RHAIN and was linked to the music scene in Bristol. In 2013 Teasdale performed as RHAIN her song “Humdrum Drivel”. In 2014 she was photographed by Cosmopolitan Magazine while attending the Isle of Wight music festival. More info at wsw.wetlegband.com]

14. (#18.) Plains – “Problem With It”
    from: I Walked With You A Ways / ANTI- Records / October 14, 2022
    [Waxahatchee’s Katie Crutchfield and Jess Williamson recorded this one-time collaboration country album. Plains began out of Crutchfield’s and Williamson’s mutual love for each other’s music and after trading albums (Saint Cloud and Sorceress, respectively) in early 2020. Feeling that it was time to have a separate project that could reflect a different side of her creative inspirations, Katie felt that Jess was the perfect fit for a collaboration, and they set off to create I Walked With You A Ways. Written between Kansas City, Los Angeles, and Marfa, the album was recorded in Durham, NC Produced by Brad Cook, with Katie Crutchfield on Lead and Harmony Vocals, Acoustic Guitar; Jess Williamson on Lead and Harmony Vocals, Acoustic Guitar; Brad Cook on Acoustic and Electric Guitar, Wurlitzer, Mellotron, Bass; Phil Cook on Piano, Wurlitzer, Organ, Dobro, Banjo, Electric Slide; Spencer Tweedy on Drums, Percussion; Andrew Marlin on Mandolin, Acoustic Guitar; Libby Rodenbough on Fiddle; Alex Farrar on Electric Guitar. Engineered by Jon Ashley with Additional Engineering by Alli Rogers and Brad Cook. Mixed by Alex Farrar and Mastered by Emily Lazar and Chris Allgood at The Lodge, NY. Plains toured all of the US. They played Knuckleheads Saloon, Kansas City, MO. on Nov. 19, 2022.]

15. (#17.) LYXE – “Lease”
    from: Everything You Could Ever Want / LYXE / September 15, 2022
    [LYXE is a new band from Lawrence, Kansas, formed in 2019 that played locally until Covid forced the band into a two year hiatus. Recently reformed, the band has had a successful string of shows in 2022 and released their first EP, Everything You Could Ever Want on September 15, 2022. Lead by frontman Ryan Wise of The Sluts, the debut single “Wave” showcases the band’s fun pop rock sensibility. We experience a different side of Wise’s songwriting with crooning vocals and vintage guitar sounds. Accompanied by drummer Jimmy Girod and bassist AJ Knudson, LYXE creates hip shaking rhythms reminiscent of classic 80’s and 90’s sounds.“Wave” is the ideal first taste of what this band can accomplish.]

[LYXE play Replay Lounge, 946 Massachusetts St., Lawrence, KS on Friday, January 13, 2023 at 10:00 PM with Milkwavem and Late Night]

16. (#16.) Hembree – “It’s A Dream”
    from: IT’S A DREAM! / Oread Records / February 4, 2022
    [The 15-track album, IT’S A DREAM from Hembree, is a KC born band was formed in November of 2015, with Isaac Flynn on guitar, & lead vocals, Garrett Childers on bass & vocals, Eric Davis on keys & synth, Alex Ward on guitar, and Austin Ward on drums. Hembree is signed to Thirty Tigers of Nashville, TN. The band was founded by original members Isaac Flynn, Garrett Childers, and Eric Davis. Brothers Alex and Austin Ward later joined in 2018. Hembree quickly garnered national attention after their single “Holy Water” was placed in an Apple commercial that aired during Super Bowl LII. The band’s music has been featured in a variety of other national placements, including Monday Night Football (NFL) and Bose. Hembree has notably supported Elvis Costello, Phoenix, Cold War Kids, Vance Joy, JR JR, and Joywave, among others. The band first toured Europe in Fall 2018. In 2018, Hembree signed with Thirty Tigers to release their first full-length album House on Fire, released 4/26/2019. In 2019, Hembree performed at Hangout Music Festival. They will also appear on the soundtrack of 13 Reasons Why: Season 3 with the song “Culture”. Hembree was named one of NPR’s Slingshot 2018 Artists to Watch. Rolling Stone named Hembree as one of the thirty best artists at SXSW 2018. “Had It All” debuted on Zane Lowe’s Beats 1 on January 19, 2017. Lowe described the song as “absolutely fantastic.” “Holy Water” was featured in Apple’s HomePod “Distortion” TV spot, which ran during Super Bowl LII, the 60th Annual Grammy Awards, and the 2018 Winter Olympics. Hembree released the single, “Reach Out” on July 20, 2021 and “Operators (feat. Bodye)” on Sept. 21, 2021on Oread Records. Info at: http://www.hembreemusic.com]

10:59 – Station ID

17. (#15.) The Moose – “Tr 10 0 10”
    from: Renaissance / Desert Animal Records / September 22, 2022
    [New 11-track album from The Moose. On August 21, 2022 The Moose released the single “Macrowave”. On April 22, 2021 The Moose released SPATURE their 26-track double album. One of WMM’s 120 Best Recordings of 2021. The album contained music and lyrics all composed by The Moose. The album was engineered, mixed, and mastered by members Emma Klein and Jake Hilger. SPATURE is a sonic amalgamation of sunny peaks and dark chasms. Join The Moose as they experiment with the fantastical worlds of space and nature. From ‘Lava’ to ‘Mother Tree’, there is a song on this double LP for everyone.The Moose is a psychedelic rock/pop alternative band from Lee’s Summit / Kansas City, formed in 2016 by Jake Hilger, Alex Huffman, and Tyler Frey with Emma Klein and Parker Tozier joining in 2016. The Moose released their debut full length album, The First Real Encounter, on Dec. 21, 2018. The Moose joined us LIVE on WMM on July 10, 2019. The Moose also recently released SONGS OF SPATURE – LIVE FROM MYCO PLANET MUSHROOM FARM April 2022. The Moose played Outer Reaches Festival on Sat, October 15 at 7:00 PM at recordBar, 1520 Grand Blvd. KCMO, with Cheer-Accident, Season to Risk, Peculiar Pretzelman, The Black Mariah Theater, She Speaks in Tongues; Jacob E.chord and experimental dance project Composition of Dance. More info at: http://www.musicofthemoose.com ]

18. (#14.) The Grisly Hand – “Why Make Me Cry”
    from: Traitors / The Grisly Hand / July 8, 2022
    [On May 14, 2021, The Grisly Hand released the single “Now That You Know.” On August 20, 2021 they released the single, “Why Make Me Cry”. On December 3, 2021 they released the single, “On The Same Side.” It had been four and a half years since The Grisly Hand has released new music. The band released HEARTS & STARS on November 18, 2016, and FLESH & GOLD on October 2, 2015. For those recordings the band had spent a year with Joel Nanos at Element Recording and decided to split the songs between two CD/digital releases: and also release them both together as a double vinyl album release, called THE GRISLY HAND released November 18, 2016 with a new reshuffling of songs for the vinyl LP format. Jimmy Fitzner on guitar & vocals, Lauren Krum on vocals & percussion, Kian Byrne on drums, Mike Stover on steel guitar, bass & vocals, Ben Summers on guitar, vocals & mandolin, Dan Loftus on bass, keyboards & vocals. For the double albums the recordings also featured: Rich Wheeler on tenor saxophone, Nick Howell on trumpet, and Mike Walker on trombone. More info at: http://www.thegrislyhand.com]

19. (#13.) BLACKSTARKIDS – “CYBERKISS 2 U”
    from: CYBERKISS / Dirty Hit / September 23, 2022
    [From the band’s new fifth album, and their third with Dirty Hit Records, all in the last 4 years. Blackstarkids are phenomenon who came out of Kansas City in 2020 became the soundtrack for the summer. Blackstarkids are a pop/R&B/hip-hop trio based in Kansas City, Missouri. Members include: TheBabeGabe, Deiondre, and TyFaizon (of the Drop Dead XX collective). The members have known each other since high school in Raytown, Missouri. Members met at Raytown South High School and formed the band in 2019. The group released its first album, Let’s Play Sports, on August 1, 2019. Blackstarkids then released their second album SURF through their own label Bedroom Records on February 28, 2020. Blackstarkids caught the attention of The 1975’s frontman Matty Healy and were then signed to The 1975’s management company and UK-based label Dirty Hit Records. They were featured in Clash Magazine. Blackstarkids then released, Surf Basement Demos on Dirty Hit Records on March 5, 2020. On October 29, 2020, Blackstarkids released Whatever, Man on Dirty Hit Records, their third album release of 2020. Gabe, of Blackstarkids recently described the KC Music community to an interviewer, “The music scene here is really nice. There are a lot of bands who are super talented and do all types of genres. The jazz music here is really great as well. Kansas City is honestly a hidden gem when it comes to music. I feel like you can meet an artist anywhere and anyplace in this city.” Deiondre added, “The music scene here is getting cool now, there’s a lot of jazz musicians that go to school for music here too but you can find people from different scenes all over if around the city.” Ty wrote, “The Kansas City scene is great, the community here is so supportive and genuine. This is a really prideful city here and I think they’re finally getting the musicians they deserve.” Blackstarkids are scheduled to play Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco on Nov. 29, 2022.]

20. (#12.) Scott Hrabko & The Rabbits – “Ufohio”
    from: The Wonderful World Of Scott Hrabko & the Rabbits / Scott Hrabko / July 1, 2022
    [These two sprawling discs contain song-craft reminiscent of everything from classic ‘60s adult pop to nostalgia-free Americana to cut ’n’ paste hip hop-inspired grooves — and some wild detours between. “But it’s all me.” – Hrabko. The Rabbits, this time around: Jason Beers on Bass, Organ, Piano, Banjo, Harmonica, Slide Guitar; Clarke Wyatt on Drums; Matt Hopper on Lead Guitar; Chris DeVictor on Upright Bass; Chris Hudson on Nylon String Guitar, Mandolin, Lead Guitar; Mike Lindsey on Bass; Tim Higgins on Drums, Percussion; Gary Paredes on Slide Guitar, Wah Wah Guitar; Chad Brothers on Lead Acoustic, and Havilah Bruders on Vocals, with Scott Hrabko on Voices, Guitars, Bass, Keyboards, Drums, Percussion, Banjo, Static Outbursts, Ghosts Knob Twiddling and Digital Chicanery. This 2-CD, 22-song release, THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF SCOTT HRABKO & THE RABBITS on July 1, 2022. The double album was recorded at Hrabko’s home studio in a time of a global pandemic and social unrest. Mike Warren writes in No Depression Magazine, “Hrabko’s rootsy songs are filled with trap doors, hidden nooks, and secret passageways. They’re like those dreams within comfortably familiar houses that suddenly have brand new rooms.” Scott Hrabko & The Rabbits have released six singles and released the albums and EPs: LAST DANCE (EP) in 2020, SMASH HITS FROM A PARALLEL UNIVERSE (EP) in 2019, SUMMER in 2017, and BISCUITS AND GRAVITY in 2015. Scott Hrabko’s 2013 critically acclaimed solo release, GONE PLACES was said to be 30 years in the making. Scott Hrabko has played with The Original Sinners, as well as the 1980s bands: The Splinters, and The Andersons. In the early 1990s Scott performed as a solo artist in coffee houses with Iris Dement and Howard Eisberg. More info at: http://www.scotthrabko.com]

[Scott Hrabko plays a special solo show, at Mike Kelly”s Westsider, on Saturday, January 7, 2023 at 11:00 AM, for Mike Kelly’s Bloody Mary Breakfast]

21. (#11.) Carswell & Hope – “Lo/Behold”
    from: Sign Of The Times / Silly Goose Records / August 30, 2022
    [Sign of the Times, the first single and title track from the Carswell & Hope full length originally released as a single on June 12, 2022. Featuring Katlyn Conroy on vocals. Single available on Bandcamp, Soundcloud and streaming platforms from July 12th, 2022. Recorded and produced by Jason Slote and Nick Carswell. Mixed and mastered by Joel Nanos at Element Recording Studios. Lawrence KS based 5-piece band formed June 25, 2012. The band is: Nick Carswell, Jason Slote, Austin Quick, Chris Handley, and Jordan Tucker. Songwriter Nick Carswell is originally from Ireland and has found a new home on the plains of Kansas.Songwriter Nick Carswell is originally from Limerick, Ireland, Nick Carswell has been living in Lawrence, KS since 2011. He formed Carswell & Hope in late 2012. The band released their debut album in 2014, coinciding with a two week Irish tour. Nick also plays bass in the electro-pop band Pink Royal and is the force behind Silly Goose Records and the annual MixMaster music conference, now part of the Crossroads Music Festival. More info at: http://www.carswellandhope.bandcamp.com]

THE TOP TEN!

22. (#10.) Flare Tha Rebel – “Playground (feat. The Belief Cycle & Leigh Adams)”
    from: Summer You, Summer Me. / Shafer / October 21, 2022
    [“Rosé All Day” was the lead single from Flare Tha Rebel’s new EP. Playful, yet meaningful, the song is about an empowered woman of which a man is pursuing. Lines within the song such as “and if she’s a tease she can do that ya’ll / she don’t owe you nothing man, please back off”, attempt to change the at times degrading scenarios of this power dynamic. The narrative is done in the backdrop of fun and lighthearted warm weather days, cool summernights, and, of course, plenty of rosé. Continuing with Flare’s Art to Empower initiative, “Rosé All Day” aims to raise funds and awareness for a nonprofit, which this time is the Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Abuse (MOCSA). Career and love brought hip-hop MC Flare Tha Rebel back to his hometown of Kansas City, MO, which created a second wind of new music. Noted by The Pitch, “As a member of hip-hop collective Anti-Crew, Flare Tha Rebel made quite an impact on the Kansas City hip-hop scene. After making the leap from KC to Chicago in the late ‘00s, he’s now back…” Known for a highly energetic live performance, Flare has shared the stage with artists such as Chance the Rapper, RZA of Wu-Tang Clan, Mac Lethal, Nappy Roots, and CES Cru. Although hip-hop at the core, Flare Tha Rebel’s versatility remains as he balances music with socially progressive themes that are still enjoyable enough to raise a glass to at a party. There’s also a duality to Flare’s approach. Many of his songs are connected to his Art to Empower initiative, raising awareness and funds for a variety of social justice causes and nonprofits. Flare Tha Rebel & Bob Pullian were guests on WMM, Aug. 11, 2021. Flare The Rebel released the EP, The Revolution Will Not Be Hashtagged on July 9, 2021. The recording was #9 on WMM’s 120 Best Recordings of 2021. Info at: http://www.flaretharebel.com]

23. (#9.) Monta At Odds – “The Perfect Kiss”
    from: Peaked – Alternative Takes and Remixes / The Record Machine / June 24, 2022
    [This cover of the New Order classic is part of the companion album called PEAKED – ALTERNATE TAKES AND REMIXES that has remixes and alternative versions of Monta AT Odds’ 2021 album, PEAK OF ETERNAL LIGHT. On the track the band is: Dedric Moore on synths & programming, Mikal Shapiro on vocals, Matthew Heinrich on drums, Lucas Behrens on baritone guitar, Krysztof Nemeth on baritone guitar, and Kenn Jankowski on synths. // The Perfect Kiss” is a song by the English band New Order. It was recorded at Britannia Row Studios in London and released on May 13, 1985. It was included on a studio album, Low-Life. // The song’s themes include love “We believe in a land of love” and death “the perfect kiss is the kiss of death”. The overall meaning of the song is unclear to its writer today. In an interview with GQ magazine Bernard Sumner said “I haven’t a clue what this is about.” He agreed with the interviewer that his best known lyric is in the song: “Pretending not to see his gun/I said, ‘Let’s go out and have some fun'”. The lyrics, he added, came about after the band was visiting a man’s house in the United States who showed his guns under his bed before they went out for an enjoyable night. It had been quickly written, recorded and mixed without sleep before the band went on tour in Australia. // The song’s complex arrangement includes a number of instruments and methods not normally used by New Order. For example, a bridge features frogs croaking melodically. The band reportedly included them because Morris loved the effect and was looking for any excuse to use it. At the end of the track, the faint bleating of a (synthesized) sheep can be heard. Sheep samples would reappear in later New Order singles “Fine Time” and “Ruined in a Day”. //Despite being a fan favorite, the song was not performed live between 1993 and 2006 due to the complexity of converting the programs from the E-mu Emulator to the new Roland synthesizer. However, it returned to the live set at a performance in Athens on June 3, 2006. // Monta At Odds released their 7th album PEAK OF ETERNAL LIGHT on July 23, 2021.. // Monta At Odds is a Kansas City combo led by the brothers Dedric and Delaney Moore. The two have played music together all their lives and have been exploring the Monta At Odds sound since the band’s debut in 2000. Dedric’s pulsing, melodic bass and Delaney’s artfully unhinged synthesizers frame the band’s central character, which is fleshed out by a talented cast of musicians and collaborators. The result is a heady sonic pool that has been inscrutably referred to as ‘Ummagumma meets Arthur Russell’s mutant disco at Vangelis’s house.’ // In 2020 the band added acclaimed vocalists, guitarists, and songwriters Mikal Shapiro and Teri Quinn to the lineup. With Mikal and Teri’s otherworldly vocal contributions, Monta At Odds continued to push their alternate reality into streamlined consciousness. With Lucas Behrens on guitar and synth and Matthew Heinrich on drums both rounds out the stellar lineup. The nad releaased a remix of their single “When I’m Gone” mixed by The Record Machine label mate Kenn Jankowski, lead singer, co-founder of The Republic Tigers. The remix featured Kenn’s voice singing with Teri’s voice. The collaboration led to Kenn joining Monta At Odds as a voclist and synth player. And when Kenn plays out as The Republic Tigers the members of Monta At Odds become The Republic Tigers. On December 18, 2020 Monta At Odds released A GREAT CONJUNCTION their 5-song EP released just in to coincide with the ‘double-planet’ convergence of Jupiter and Saturn on December 21 2020, which last occurred in 1226. These tunes form a soundtrack to the planetary event, five songs linked together by the vastness of space and as a meditation on our infinitesimal place in the universe. The EP featured Krystof Nemeth, Teri Quinn, Alexander Thomas, Dedric Moore and Matthew Heinrich. // In late 2020 Monta At Odds released the single “When Stars Grow Old.” // Monta At Odds released their 4-song EP Zen Diagram on May 1, 2020. The album was a more post-punk leaning follow-up to Argentum Dreams. Expect minimal rhythms set to maximum noise, shoegazed guitar signals, slo-mo psychedelic darkwave, endless dub echo, and extended-cut warped disco. Live musicians manipulating time and space via knob turning, cymbal cracking, and pedal pushing as they interlock into hypnotic moments of heavenly bliss. / Info at: http://www.facebook.com/montaatodds%5D

[Monta At Odds play The Ship, 1221 Union Ave., KCMO, WEST BOTTOMS, on Friday, December 30, at 9:00 PM with Jass and DJ KIKO de GALLO]

24. (#8.) Eddie Moore – “A New Me, A New You”
    from: Intuition / Eddie Moore Music / October 28, 2022
    [Written & Produced by Eddie Moore. Recorded at Tribe Studios. Featuring Tim Ogutu on guitar. Mix & Mastered by Rick Carson at Make Believe Studios. Album Art by Brandon WilsonEddie Moore released the single, “Love Song” (with Joel Castillo and Bree Cummings) on October 22, 2021. Eddie Moore released “We Chillin’” on April 9, 2021. Eddie Moore’s band We The People released their album MISUNDERSTOOD on September 25, 2020. Eddie Moore is the recipient of the 2016 Charlotte Street Generative Performance Award for his genre bending collaborations. Raised in Houston Texas, he began his musical journey at Texas Southern University where he later earned a Bachelors in Arts and immersed himself in the Houston music scene. Eddie relocated to Kansas City to study under Bobby Watson at the University of Missouri-Kansas City where he received a M.A in Jazz Studies. 2017’s Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art “Artist in Residence” in collaboration with Rashid Johnson. In 2018 his work with The Outer Circle was nominated for an Indie Music Award for “007”. His music has been featured commercially for Sprint, Netflix’s “Queer Eye”, and Morgan Cooper’s short film “Room Tone”. Moore’ has shared the stage and recordings with Bobby Watson, Logan Richardson, Maurice Brown, Boys II Men, Brian Blade and the Fellowship, John Baptiste, Erykah Badu, Mosdef, Bilal, Ledisi, Chantae Cann, Krystal Warren, Matt Otto, Brandon Draper, Andre Hayward, Tivon Pennicott, Various Blonde, Dominique Sanders, 77 Jefferson, and the Marcus Lewis Big Band. We The People released the single, “Single Double” on June 10, 2021. Written & Produced By Eddie Moore with Moore on keyboards, key bass, & programming; Zach Morrow on drums; and Jason Emmond on bass. Recorded at Tribe Studios. Mixed by Rick Carson at Make Believe Studios. Eddie Moore joined WMM on Sept. 23, 2020 and Nov. 23, 2022. More info at http://www.eddiemooremusic.com]

11:28 – Underwriting

25. (#7.) Kevin Morby – “This Is A Photograph”
    from: THIS IS A PHOTOGRAPH / Dead Oceans / May 13, 2022
    [Kevin Morby’s 7th album as a solo artist. From http://www.rollingstone.com: “In January 2020, songwriter Kevin Morby witnessed his father collapse from a medical event while visiting his childhood home in Kansas. In a state of shock, the singer spent the evening looking at old family photos and fixated on an image of his father as a young man, looking, as Morby states, ‘full of confidence.’ The experience forced Morby to confront both the idea of mortality and the passage of time — and, after an extended sojourn in Tennessee, these reflections came together in the form of his upcoming album, This Is a Photograph. To mark the announcement, the singer released the record’s eponymous single, accompanied by a music video directed by Chantal Anderson. Produced by frequent Morby collaborator Sam Cohen, This Is a Photograph was primarily written in Memphis’ historic Peabody Hotel, where the singer-songwriter holed up in search of inspiration and self-realization amongst the city’s dark past.” Morby will also embark on a 65 City tour of Europe and North America through the majority of 2022, which starts May 20 in Madrid, Spain and wraps Nov. 12 in Vancouver, BC. On October 16, 2020 Kevin Morby released SUNDOWNER, ranked #20 on WMM’s 120 Best recordings of 2020 and was the 6th release from Kevin Robert Morby born April 2, 1988. SUNDOWNER was the follow up to his 2019 release OH MY GOD. Kevin Morby released CITY MUSIC in 2017. Kevin learned to play guitar when he was 10. In his teens he formed the band Creepy Aliens. 17-year-old Morby dropped out of Blue Valley Northwest High School, got his GED, and moved from his native Kansas City to Brooklyn in the mid-2000s, supporting himself by working bike delivery and café jobs. He later joined the noise-folk group Woods on bass. While living in Brooklyn, he became close friends and roommates with Cassie Ramone of the punk trio Vivian Girls, and the two formed a side project together called The Babies, who released albums in 2011 and 2012. He began a solo career in 2013 releasing his debut album HARLEM RIVER. His 2nd album STILL LIFE was released in 2014. His album SINGING SAW was in WMM’s The 116 Best Recordings of 2016. His album CITY MUSIC was in WMM’s The 118 Best Recordings of 2018.]

[Kevin Morby plays Carnegie Hall as part of THE PIANO RECITAL with Michelle Zauner of Japanese Breakfast, Eric D. Johnson of Fruit Bats/Bonnylight Horseman, Courtney Marie Andrews, Craig Finn of The Hold Steady, UWade, Phil Cook, and Johanna Samuels on Saturday, February 25 at 8:00 PM]

26. (#6) Stephonne – “Boyz (feat. Dustin Rapier & Zava) [Radio Edit]”
    from: SIS: Side B [EP] / Stephonne / June 24, 2022
    [Co-produced by, Justin Mantooth, and recorded at Westend Recording Studios. Johnny Hamil on bass, and Adam McKee on drums. Stephonne released the single, “Cross My Heart (Sexy M.F.) on June 3, 2022. Stephonne released the single, “Deja Vu” with Shilow and Regina Del Carmen on May 9, 2022. Stephonne released the single “The King’s Gambit” on July 28, 2021. Stephonne was part of the single, “Elephant Man (feat. Stephonne)” from Lee Walter Redding & Stephonne, released April 9, 2021. Stephonne released the single “Beautiful Life (Acoustic)” on January 15, 2021. Stephonne released SIS: Side A on August 7, 2020. The 4 song EP contained the song “Want Me” that was also made into a video featuring body painting on to Stephonne’s body from artist Ryan Wilks. Stephonne released his debut album, “Caged Bird Sings Songs About Red Beard.” The album was one of WMM’s 118 Best Recordings of 2018. Stephonne was born and raised in Wyandotte Cou, Kansas. Stephonne grew up in KCK. He has performed in multiple shows for Late Night Theatre.]

27. (#5.) Ivory Blue – “Heavy”
    from: Compound Love / Sound Ballistics Music & Publishing / February 25, 2022
    [Ivory Blue signed a publishing deal with Sound Ballistics Music & Publishing of Atlanta GA on August 18, 2021. This company is managing Ivory and handling all of their publishing. For COMPOUND LOVE Ivory served as songwriter, producer, vocalist and played all instruments with the exception of: Lester Estelle on drums, Klaartje Van Lue on piano, Craig Kew on bass, Lennon Bone on drums, and Marco Pascolini on pedal steel guitar. Nick Poortman served in mixing, with Kurt Festge who also served in mixing & Mastering. KC based singer songwriter and rock & roller, Ivory Blue is currently in the studio putting together a new full length 10-song album called “Compound Love” for release in 2022. Ivory Blue’s debut EP, Ready Get Set was released in June 2015 and had wide radio airplay on this show and multiple radio and television stations in Kansas City and across the country. In 2017 Ivory was among 1800 bands that competed in neXt2Rock. Ivory won local & regional challenges and advanced to nationals in Los Angeles to win the top prize. Ivory Blue has played Crossroads Music Festival, The Middle of the Map Festival, The Westport Roots Festival, the KCPT Screening of “Real Boy” at The Kansas City Public Library., and Kauffman Stadium. // Ivory Blue was born in 1986 in Peoria Illinois, as Devin James Miclettet. Ivory’s birth mother put them up for adoption at the age of four. Ivory speaks about how it was difficult to find trust in people offering their home to someone denied it for so long, Ivory lived with eight different families. before running away at 15. // Ivory has talked with us about how in their life they have turned to music to express pain. Ivory spent most of their childhood looking for a family. In 2010 Klaartje Van Lue saw Ivory performing in a YouTube video and contacted them, flying them Ivory KC, and adopting Ivory into the Van Lue family. During the past 10 years Ivory came out as “Non-Binary Transgender. // As a multi-instrumentalist, Ivory began refining their performance style, using digital looping pedals to stack harmonies and guitar parts live on stage, giving their solo shows the feel of a full band. In 2011, Ivory settled in Kansas City, MO and quickly began attracting an intense regional following for their strong vocals and incisive, deeply personal lyrics. // By 2013, IVORY BLUE was playing regularly in and around Kansas City and the first EP ‘Ready Get Set’ was released. in 2015. While the EP helped spread the word and got much attention from regional radio and TV stations, a big break would come in 2017. Ivory entered NeXt2Rock, a nationwide talent search with over 1800 artists/bands who applied to find fresh and promising rock artists. The top 5 national bands battled it off for the win in Los Angeles CA at the legendary Viper Room, with judges Scott Borchetta (BMLG), John Varvatos (fashion designer), Steve Jones (Sex Pistols Guitarist and Host of “Jonesy’s Jukebox”), Desmond Child (Musician, producer), Chris Lord-Alge (producer), Ivory Blue won over the judges and became the grand prize winner! Ivory Ivory won the contest and a one-year record deal with BMLG who re-released the song Ready Get Set from the 2015 EP. Ivory’s 2018 re-release of ‘Ready Get Set’ undauntedly received National and International airplay within weeks. For their upcoming album, IVORY BLUE is producing all the tracks with the exception of Drums and Bass. Ivory is currently working with Lester Estelle (Drummer for Kelly Clarkson), Craig Kew (Bass) KC, Kurt Festge (Mastering | Citizen Kane & Vilent Femmes) NC. and Nick Poortman (LA based Los Angeles based Producer, Engineer, Mixer, and Songwriter) Nick has worked alongside producers including Justin Gray, Gil Norton, Big Tank, and Greg Haver on sessions throughout the USA, UK, Europe, and New Zealand. // On August 18th 2021 Ivory Blue signed a publishing deal with Sound Ballistics Music & Publishing out of Atlanta GA. // Ivory released the singles: “Elite Dreamland,” on Feb. 17, 2021, “Half a Life” on Sept. 20, 2021. Ivory Blue released the video of “Family Table” directed by Mikal Shapiro, on August 21, 2021 and the audio track was released on September 7, 2021. Ivory Blue released the single “Good Changes” on Oct 26, 2021. Ivory Blue released the singles: “Heavy,” “Bad Weather,” “It Must Have Been Me,” “Compound Love,” and “The Start” on December 14, 2021. Ivory Blue joined us on WMM on November 10, September 15, and July 28, in 2021. More info at: https://linktr.ee/ivorybluemusic%5D

[IVORY BLUE plays a ULAH Live Session, Thursday, March 16, 2023 at 7:30 PM ay ULAH, 4707 Rainbow Blvd, Westwood, KS.]

28. (#4.) Making Movies – “Sala De Los Pecadores”
    From: XOPA / Cosmica Artists / June 17, 2022
    [XOPA was recorded in Memphis, produced by Ben Yonas and mixed by Tchad Blake. More info at: http://www.makingmovies.world. Making Movies is a Kansas City based 4-piece band and made up of: Enrique Chi on guitar and lead vocals; Diego Chi on bass & vocals; Juan-Carlos Chaurand on percussion & keyboards; and Duncan Burnett on drums. The band draws their influences from the origins of their families: Santiago, Panama, and KC Missouri, and Guadalajara, Mexico. Making Movies released the 5-song EP, EN VIVO (SIN APLAUSO) on February 4, 2022. Prior to that, Making Movies released the 6-track EP BORING BITS, on May 7, 2021, which includes their single “La Marcha.” On February 5, the band released a sneak peek of the new music they’ve been working on. The 7-song, La Cuarentena EP includes a brand new version of the first Making Movies song, “La Marcha” and the lullaby “Could You?” (both mixed by Jim Eno of Spoon and tracked at Memphis Magnetic studio), and the love ballad “Una Vida.” The EP was ranked #25 inWMM’s 120 Best Recordings of 2021. The EP also includes: covers of Talking Heads and Tears for Fears classics, plus bonus live acoustic tracks. This EP was made available on BandCamp for only three days on February 5 through February 7, 2021. Since then it has been made private, an is not available anywhere. Making Movies released their single “Could You” on January 12, 2021. About “Could You” lead singer Enrique Javier Chi wrote, “I was thinking about what to share for “Could You?” and I just go back to the fact that Memphis is a profound place… it is a place where you can feel what America truly is and where it comes from. I think you see and feel the reality that so much of this nation was built from exploiting people. You can see that our pop culture is driven by the Black community and yet that community is still the most oppressed in the nation. Things are still so messed up. // Memphis is the place where Elvis started singing black music with a country twang and where Martin Luther King Jr. was shot. It’s a beautiful place, it’s a charming place, it feels at times downtrodden and it’s a place that reminds me of home (both KC and Panamá in different ways. Our experiences going to Memphis gave us the context to create “Could You?” It was filmed originally for AMERI’KANA TV..” Making Movies released their critically acclaimed album ameri’kana through 3/2 Recordings on May 24, 2019. This was #1 on WMM’s 119 Best Recordings of 2019. Produced by Steve Berlin and Ben Yonas. The notes for this album read: “ameri’kana is a canary in a coal mine, the watchman at the tower. It is a desire to remember where we come from and assure that we better ourselves in every step along our journey. Every chapter is an example, a reason to not be silent and not accept corrupt leaders as something inevitable. ameri’kana is based on faith, faith that every person on this continent carries within themselves the ability to grow, to awaken their consciousness and merits of the same rights. We were accomplices to get ourselves to this point so we will have to be accomplices in the solutions.” This was the band’s follow up release to their critically acclaimed, I Am Another You, released May 26, 2017. The quartet has toured with Arcade Fire, Thievery Corporation, Cold War Kids, Los Lobos, Ozomatli, Tennis, Sergio Mendoza of Calexico, Rodrigo y Gabriela, and Hurray for the Riff Raff. Enrique Chi joined WMM on May 19, 2021.]

[Making Movies play a XOPA Live Album Recording, Saturday, January 28, 2023, at The Folly Theatre with an opening performance featuring El Grupo Folklorico Atotnilco.]

29. (#3.) The Creepy Jingles – “Nicotine Mom”
    from: TAKE ME AY MY WORDPLAY / High Dive Records / March 25, 2022
    [From band’s 11-track, full-length debut, TAKE ME AT MY WORD PLAY. The Creepy Jingles are a Kansas City based, 4-piece rock and roll band that both honors and defies convention. Led by singer / song-writer Jocelyn Olivia Nixon, a transgender wordsmith who charms with razor wit and dazzles with her lyrical acrobatics. Nick Robertson on drums, Travis McKenzie on guitar, and Andrew Woody on bass guitar bring first class musicianship and creativity, helping Nixon paint the perfect picture of colors and sounds that don’t stay in the lines. Their new album, “Take Me at My Wordplay” is an eclectic blend of catchy Brit-Pop melodies that dance around the landscape of surf, NY garage rock, psychedelia and folk music. Paired up with lyrics centering on themes of identity, strained relationships, social media madness, meme magic, pandemic paranoia, paid off political pundits, backyard bullies and barking up the wrong tree. Everything and the kitchen sink or swim. No stoner left unturned. The Creepy Jingles released their Debut EP on High Dive Records on May 3, 2019. The release was in the top ten of WMM’s 119 Best Recordings of 2019. ] The Creepy Jingles released their Debut EP on High Dive Records on May 3, 2019.]

30. (#2.) Katy Guillen & The Drive – “Discoloration”
    from: ANOTHER ONE GAINED / Katy Guillen / August 19, 2022
    [Produced by Kevin Ratterman (My Morning Jacket, Heartless Bastards, Ray LaMontagne) at Invisible Creature Studio in Los Angeles. This is brimming with vibrant textures, fuzzy electric guitars, and warm vocals. “Set In Stone” marked the beginning of a major life transition for Katy Guillen (pronounced Ghee-En). Written shortly after her longtime band announced their final show, she was struggling to find the next step in her career and personal life, while longing for a past sense of stability. “The song’s vigorous structure and deliberate rhythms convey that feeling of defeat and darkness, but with a sense of resolution and surrender through the guitar solo – a favorite moment on the record for me,” explains Katy. “While it started on shaky ground, coming out on the other side meant starting over and building something new.” ANOTHER ONE GAINED is a memoir of growth and reawakening by way of heart-wrenching transition and change – loss of her long-time band, end of a romantic relationship and finding herself amidst it all. “Set In Stone” premiered earlier on Guitar Girl Magazine. Katy Guillen & The Drive – Katy Gillen (drums) and Stephanie William (drums) – dropped their first EP, Dream Girl, right before the 2020 lockdown, leaving them without opportunities to perform live. In their basement rehearsal space, they spent the year learning home recording and pre-production techniques, gradually crafting a collection of songs from the ground up. The following April, they took the demos to producer/engineer Kevin Ratterman (My Morning Jacket, Heartless Bastards, Ray LaMontagne) at Invisible Creature Studio in Los Angeles. From their work with Ratterman emerged a batch of 15 songs. At the end of 2021, the band released the four-track Battles EP, offering listeners a darker, more simmering edge to their impelling indie-rock sound. Ten more would comprise Another One Gained, the full-length debut due August 19, 2022. Previously Katy Guillen & The Drive released BATTLES EP on December 17, 2021, Recorded at Invisible Creature Studio in Los Angeles, CA. Engineered and mixed by Kevin Ratterman. Produced by Kevin Ratterman, Katy Guillen, and Stephanie Williams. Mastered by Shelley Anderson at Black Lab Mastering in Louisville, KY. All songs written by Katy Guillen and Stephanie Williams. Katy Guillen on vocals, guitar, bass, & keyboarda. Stephanie Williams on drums & percussion. Additional keys and programming by Kevin Ratterman. Album design and photography by Morgan Jones. This is a follow up to Katy Guillen & The Drive’s 7-song EP, DREAM GIRL, released March 20, 2020. Katy Guillen & The Drive, is a project dedicated to Guillen’s songwriting that is founded on the creative spark and chemistry between Katy Guillen & Stephanie Williams. With Guillen on guitar & vocals and Williams on drums, the two sculpt a sound that recalls bands like Led Zeppelin, The Bangles, and Band of Skulls. In 2012, Guillen & Williams formed Katy Guillen and The Girls, and began to build a foundation of touring and recording that carried them through six years and produced three full-length albums: Katy Guillen & the Girls, Heavy Days, and Remember What You Knew Before. Between 2012 and 2018, they traveled the United States extensively, performed at the International Montreal Jazz Festival, toured Sweden, and supported major acts like The Doobie Brothers, Robin Trower, and Heartless Bastards. In these 6 years playing together, Guillen & Williams created a dynamic, sound informed by Guillen’s mesmerizing, emotive guitar style and poignant arrangements, and an equally captivating live show that showcased Williams’ technical, melodic style, resulting in a powerful on-stage chemistry. In addition to the compelling synergy formed by years of playing together, the two developed a method of working together on Guillen’s songs that only deepened their artistic connection, propelling them to forge a path to a new plateau in their music. KG & The Drive push ahead with a melodic, heavy, and soulful sound while maintaining the edge of the artist’s rock ‘n’ roll and blues roots. Katy Guillen joined us on WMM on March 18, 2020. Katy Guillen & The Drive opened for FANNY for their one-night-only reunion concert from Fanny+ (June Millington, Brie Howard-Darling, Patti Quatro, and Mia Huggins) at recordBar, 1520 Grand Ave, KCMO, on October 5, 2022. More info at: http://www.katyguillenmusic.com]

[Katy Guillen and Stephanie Williams are the backbone for The Band That Fell To Earth the Kansas City Super-group created by Michelle Bacon presenting the 7th annual David Bowie Tribute shows at recordBar, 1520 Grand Ave,.KCMO January 19, 20, and 21, 2023]

[Katy Guillen & The Drive play Knuckleheads, 2715 Rochester St. KCMO, Saturday March 4, 2023 at 8:00 PM with with Frogpond]

31. (#1.) The Black Creatures – “The Weight of Worth”
    from: By Thy Hand / Center Cut Records / August 12, 2022
    [This new album follows their last singles: “Criminal” on June 24, 2022, “Loud For Nothin” on May 27, 2022, and “True Friends” on September 17, 2021. After being signed to Center Cut Records the label remastered and reissued their album WILD ECHOES in 2020 and was named Album Of The Year from The Pitch Magazine. the original 2019 release of WILD ECHOES was #2 in WMM’s 119 Favorite Releases of 2019 (Albums & EPs). The Black Creatures fuse dark-pop hip-hop, soul, jazz, and electronic music with elements from science fiction to tell inter-dimensional stories of love, community, life, culture, history. Xavier & Jade have made an impression in the KC music community with their live shows in clubs, galleries, record stores, and area music festivals. The Black Creatures released their debut single “Mouth 2 Mouth” June 5, 2016. // Jade Green & Xavier Martin of The Black Creatures began working together in 2013. The Black Creatures blur the boundaries of hip-hop, dance, R&B, soul, and EDM, telling stories of real life, and the struggle for equality. Jade’s incredible vocals reveal her background in opera, and her honest lyrics are both personal and political. Jade can interpret soul, jazz, hiphop, and pop. Xavier Martin started music as a violinist, and has transitioned into a co-songwriter, producer, beat-maker, keyboardist, vocalist, engineer, and style maker. Their breakthrough album, WILD ECHOES, that was re-released and re-mastered by Center Cut in 2020 and named Album Of The Year from The Pitch Magazine. // From Center Cut Records Promo Materials: The Black Creatures blend contemporary styles of pop, hip-hop, dance, R&B, EDM and soul with cinematic and storytelling sci-fi/fantasy elements and themes. With the complex and creative approach The Black Creatures take to their art, a diverse audience regularly flocks to their gripping and intensely enchanting performances. // Representing the strange land of Kansas City, Missouri, Jade Green and Xavier began working together around the end of 2013 after meeting on-line talking about cosmetics. After Jade stumbled upon Xavier’s SoundCloud, they asked if they could put their vocals on it, and this led to future collaborations with no more than the intention to dabble. They couldn’t stop and eventually dubbed the project The Black Creatures. // Both Jade & Xavier write and perform vocals, with Xavier at the helm of production and composition. Jade Green has a vocal background in opera and a penchant for theatrics, and both are the foundation of their ever-evolving approach to writing and performing in The Black Creatures. While the instrumentals may set the tone for the show, Jade’s voice captivates the audience from beginning to end. Originally a violinist, Xavier unfurled into a producer and vocalist, maintaining the same air of intrigue and mystery throughout his compositions and performances in The Black Creatures. // After releasing Wild Echoes in the fall of 2020, and receiving Album Of The Year from The Pitch Magazine, high praise came from around the world for the four released singles and accompanying videos. “Wretched (It Goes)” was featured in the NPR Live Sessions “Songs For Change” when The Black Creatures were selected as one of 12 national artists, and included in 90.9 The Bridge’s Top 100 singles along with their song “D’ummm” which was in heavy rotation in the winter. Nuance Magazine wrote, “The Black Creatures take their musical talents and use them in such a way that forces listeners to not only tap their foot to a catchy tune, but pay attention and feel something about what is going on in the world around them. Tackling fascism, police brutality, and the deep-rooted effects of slavery in a rhythmic fashion is one thing. Simultaneously making it a good listen is another. However, The Black Creatures make it happen.” // Mark’s brief review: “Being named “Album of The Year” from The Pitch Kansas City was the recognition this young band deserved, because there is really no other band in Kansas City creating incredibly beautiful and painful protest songs in multi genre styles of beats, vocal styles, textures. The immediate personal and poetic lyrics of Jade Green and tribal, dance floor and soulful beats and melodies of Xavier bring the listener into a multicultural, mixed, gender fluid, soul celebration of life and an honest indictment of the racist, homophobic, and sexist world they are navigating through to survive. Listen carefully to these young music makers, they are wise beyond their years. They sound beautiful and speak the truth to power. They are beautiful. They are The Black Creatures.” Charlotte Street Foundation announced that the recipients of the 2022 Generative Performing Artist Awards are The Black Creatures and Calvin Arsenia Scott. Jade and Xavier completed performances in the world premiere of Christian A. Walker’s “What Came With Spring” for the Owen/Cox Dance Group October 7, 8, and 9 at City Stage Theatre, Union Station, 30 W Pershing Rd, KCMO ]

The Black Creatures Discography

The Black Creatures “Mouth 2 Mouth” – Single, June 5, 2016.
The Black Creatures released their debut album, See No Evil, Dec. 6, 2017.
The Black Creatures “Elements” – Single, February 14, 2018
The Black Creatures “Silver Tears” – Single, June 19, 2018 w/ additional voices by AniMal (Ana Marcela Maldonado Morales) , Barbara Solomon , Kassidee, Quaranta , Adres Va Cortas
The Black Creatures “Dare” (Gorillaz Cover)” – Single, August 8, 2019
The Black Creature – Wild Echoes – September 30, 2019
The Black Creatures – “Turn” – Single, October 30, 2019
The Black Creatures – “Quartz (Twilight)” – Single, November 13, 2019
The Black Creatures – “SHINE” – Single, December 11, 2019
The Black Creatures- “Ghost Bustin’ Dead Prezidentz” – Single, January 8, 2020
The Black Creatures – “To Whom It May Concern” – Single, January 22, 2020
The Black Creatures – “Arcade Love” – Single, February 5, 2020
The Black Creatures – “Run Up” – Single, February 19, 2020.
The Black Creature – Wild Echoes – September 30, 2019
The Black Creatures – “wretched (it goes)”- Single [Center Cut], July 17, 2020 [remastered]
The Black Creature – Wild Echoes – Album (Remastered] August 28, 2020 [Center Cut]
The Black Creatures – “Negative Zero” – Single/Video [Center Cut]
The Black Creatures – “FRIENDS” – Single/Video [Center Cut]
The Black Creatures – BY THY HAND – album August 12, 2022

32. Noel Coward – “The Party’s Over Now”
    from: Noel Coward in New York / drg / 2003 [orig. 1957]

NEXT WEEK, on January 4, 2023, we ring in the new year with our annual Birthday Tribute shows to Rock Icon David Bowie and singer songwriter Iris DeMent.

Our Script/Playlist is a “cut and paste” of information.
Sources for notes: artist’s websites, bios, wikipedia.org

Find our playlists for the past 10 years at: http://www.WednesdayMidDayMedley.org

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Show #974